Dominican Rock

Dominican rock, (known as "Rock Dominicano" in Dominican Republic), is rock music created by Dominican groups and soloists. Originating in the 1980s with the start of Luis Dias band Transporte Urbano, successful bands such as Tribu Del Sol, Toque Profundo and Tabu Tek began to emerge. Dominican rock is listened to by the youth of the Dominican Republic who have embraced the music, sometimes over merengue and bachata, two other very popular genres in the Dominican Republic, and most recently Puerto Rican reggaeton. Rita Indiana y los Misterios are a musical group known for their blend of traditional merengue music with rock.

The styles of rock bands from the Dominican Republic differ greatly. Not only is there regular Spanish pop rock, there are also sub-genres such as alternative, punk, emo, and metal. Most songs are sung in Spanish, though some bands (like ALF, Mithril, for instance) also sing in English.

Although the rock scene stays local and rarely goes international, it is large within the Dominican Republic, especially in the nation's capital, Santo Domingo. Just few bands as 'JLS (Spain), Transporte Urbano (U.S.A & Cuba)Sister Madness (Canada), ALF (USA), Pericles (USA, Costa Rica), Dark Miracle (USA), Los Pérex (USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico) La Armada Roja (USA, Puerto Rico) and Santuario (Puerto Rico) have traveled to other countries to play. Many concerts are held in the indoor auditorium of the Domínico Americano, a local school. Bands of many different genres of Dominican rock play there. Some artists who have played there are "spam", González, Sociedad Tabú, Shido, TKR, Toque Profundo, Cronicas del Eco, and Nux. Within the punk scene, there are a few venues which are regularly used for concerts. One of the most popular venues is Donde L'Abuela, a house which is regularly volunteered for concerts, as well as a small bar called Stilo Club, where bands such as Los Pérex, La Reforma, La Armada Roja, Pericles, Shido and Mulligan have played.

The Premios Cassandra, an award ceremony, is held yearly. There have also been many successful music videos in production. The most popular and considered best video is "Suele Pasar" by La Siembra, directed by Tabare Blanchard, who also directed "Pa´ Que No Pienses" by Calor Urbano. Dominican rock videos are played on many local music channels, and are also played in some other South American countries.

Nueva Canción

Nueva canción (Spanish for 'new song') is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music. Nueva canción is widely recognized to have played a powerful role in the social upheavals in Portugal, Spain and Latin America during the 1970s and 1980s.

Nueva canción first surfaced during the 1960s as "The Chilean New Song" in Chile. The musical style emerged shortly afterwards in Spain and other areas of Latin America where it came to be known under similar names. Nueva canción renewed traditional Latin American folk music, and was soon associated with revolutionary movements, the Latin American New Left, Liberation Theology, hippie and human rights movements due to political lyrics. It would gain great popularity throughout Latin America, and is regarded as a precursor to Rock en español.

Nueva canción musicians often faced censorship, exile, forceful disappearances and even torture by right-wing military dictatorships, as in Francoist Spain, Pinochet's Chile and in Videla and Galtireri's Argentina.

Due to Nueva canción songs' strongly political messages, some of them have been used in recent political campaigns, the Orange Revolution, which used Violeta Parra's Gracias a la vida. Nueva canción has become part of the Latin American and Iberian musical canon but is no longer a mainstream genre, and has given way to other genres, particularly Rock en español.